Actor Robert Prosky dies

Robert Prosky, a character actor with hundreds of credits on stage and screen including Mrs Doubtfire and Hill Street Blues, has died in a Washington hospital. He was 77.

His oldest son, Stefan Prosky, said the actor died on Monday night of complications from a heart procedure.

"He went gracefully last night, not in pain," Stefan Prosky said. "Everybody knows him as a fairly famous actor. My brothers and I know him as a marvellous father."

Prosky appeared in more than 200 plays on Broadway and with Arena Stage, a regional theatre company in Washington. He appeared in 38 films and numerous television shows.

On Broadway, Prosky's credits included Glengarry Glen Ross and A View from the Bridge. He also completed a long run in Michael Frayn's play Democracy.

In the 1980s, Prosky spent three years on the NBC television series Hill Street Blues as a police sergeant. He later appeared as a priest on trial for murder in ABC's legal drama, The Practice. In Mrs Doubtfire, Prosky played the TV station owner who hired Robin Williams, who dressed as a nanny. His other film credits include Dead Man Walking and The Natural.

Depp to play Dante in home production

Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp , who was last seen in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street will star in a film based on the life of Italian Renaissance poet Dante.

Depp's production company, Infinitum Nihil, has bought the screen rights to Nick Tosches' 2002 book, In The Hand of Dante on which the film will be based, reports contactmusic.com.

The story will parallel the lives of a modern-day writer, played by Depp, and Dante as he attempts to complete his classic work The Divine Comedy.

Jack Nicholson to enter Hall of Fame

Hollywood veterans Jack Nicholson and Jane Fonda are to be inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

They will all be honoured at a ceremony Dec 15 in Sacramento, California, reports contactmusic.com.

Two time Oscar winner, Fonda's induction comes nearly 30 years after her nomination to the California Arts Council was rejected by the State Senate due to her outspoken campaign against the Vietnam War.

Known for his mehtod acting, Jack Nicholson is one of the most talented actors who has won three Oscars for his performances in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Terms of Endearment and As good as It Gets, apart from numerous other memorable roles.